In Sickness and in Health
by Blackbirdox
Summary: Charlie relies on Knox's help when he falls ill and he turns out to be exactly the cure he was looking for.


**Disclaimer: Isn't it obvious by now that I don't own Dead Poets Society? I may be holding Charlie hostage but that doesn't mean anything belongs to me.**

**A/N: The inspiration came to me after suffering through several days with an incredibly high fever of my own. I took my frustration over being sick and decided to just write instead. Surprisingly, it helped. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading and reviewing. **

Charlie Dalton is one hundred percent certain he's never been so sick in all his life. Though no one could really tell by looking at him, he had been a sickly child and had spent most of his youth stuck in bed as a result of more earaches and sore throats and cases of the sniffles than he could count or care to remember. As he grew up, he grew out of his persistent plague of issues and he can now count the number of times he's been sick in the past few years on one hand. But his lucky streak seems to have run out and no illness, childhood or otherwise, has ever been this bad. _Ever._

He turns over for what has to be the twentieth time in the past twenty minutes and beats his pillow with his fist, trying to shape it into a more tolerable form. His blankets are tangled and bunched around his legs from his earlier attempts to kick them off and they provide a great deal of difficulty as he tries to pull them up with shaking hands.

His body temperature has flipped on the cold switch again and now he's freezing. Charlie yanks the blankets up as high as they will go and curls into a ball beneath them, trying to absorb as much warmth as he can. He's trembling uncontrollably- complete with teeth chattering and all. He's miserable.

Charlie utters a frustrated groan as he flips over again and immediately regrets it as the sound reverberates through his aching throat. Nearly every part of his body hurts- from his head right down to his toes. He's nauseous and dizzy and the pressure in his head feels like it's on the verge of cracking his skull and even though he knows that's not possible, it's starting to seem like a welcome alternative.

He forces his eyes closed, determined to get some rest. He'd spent most of the night either coughing or tossing and turning which had exhausted him and thoroughly pissed off Cameron. Dick had left that morning in a particularly foul mood- worse than usual- and the memory of it causes Charlie to smile just a little. That had almost been worth the trouble.

He finally manages to get comfortable but no more than five seconds later, the door to his dorm swings open. Charlie huffs and tugs his pillow over his head, shielding his eyes from the harsh light that's now streaming into the formally dark room. "Go away," he rasps.

He can hear footsteps to the right of him and then the springs on the other bed squeak. Much to his relief, its Knox's voice and not Cameron's that shatters the silence. "You okay?"

Charlie lifts the pillow up just a fraction of an inch to look at him before he pulls it back down. "No," he gripes and a sneeze follows his statement.

Knox's not sure whether he wants to laugh or be concerned because Charlie just looks so pathetic. Dramatic, as per usual, but genuinely pathetic. He settles on concern and stands again, crossing the room to sit on the edge of his bed instead. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," comes the muffled response from under the pillow, coupled with another loud sneeze.

Knox pulls the pillow away from him and frowns. Charlie's typically tidy hair is mused and the strands that aren't matted to his sweaty forehead are splayed out in about fifty different directions. His face is flushed and wan and there are heavy dark circles surrounding his eyes and his evident misery makes Knox run his fingers through his hair without even thinking about it. "You look horrible," he notes.

Charlie cracks one eye open and mumbles an incoherent response. He scoots over a little more to be closer to Knox and his radiating warmth and for the first time in hours, he actually feels comfortable. "What time is it?"

Knox has to stop and think for a moment because Charlie's sudden close proximity has thrown him off guard. "L-Lunch time," he finally responds, clearing his throat a little. "I just thought someone should check on you." Trying to distract himself, Knox lays the back of his hand across his forehead and pulls it back almost automatically in alarm. "Jesus, Charlie."

"Mm?"

"You're hot."

Knox, half-expecting a witty retort to be thrown is way, is actually a little disappointed when all he receives in response is a non-committal grunt. He places his hand back on Charlie's forehead and leaves it there for a few seconds as he tries to gauge his temperature. Deciding it's much too high for his liking; he gets to his feet and pulls the blankets back. "Get up."

Charlie whines and flounders for a moment, trying to get a hold of the blankets again. "No," he responds petulantly, jutting his lower lip out for emphasis.

Knox doesn't even bother to waste the effort to argue. He grabs Charlie by the hand and hauls him to his feet. He watches as Charlie teeters a bit unsteadily and reaches out to grab him when he starts to sway backwards. He drapes one arm over his shoulder and wraps the other around his waist just to keep him upright as he leads him out of the room.

Charlie hasn't even seemed to notice what's going on and just lulls his head onto Knox's shoulder with a sleepy groan. Knox can feel the heat radiating off of him; breaching the confines of his jacket, sweater _and_ shirt and that worries him. He picks up his pace a little, trying to go slow enough for Charlie to keep up but quick enough to get him cooled down before his brain- or what's left of it, anyway- actually fries.

He glances around to make sure they're alone before he- literally- drags Charlie towards the shower.

Something seems to wake him because his eyes snap open in surprise when his bare feet hit the cool tile, his eyes snap open and he struggles against Knox's grip. "No," he insists stubbornly, dragging his feet.

Knox once again ignores him and easily manages to shove him into the stall. On any normal day, Charlie would have been able to put up a pretty good fight so he's thankful for the uncommon lack of energy.

Charlie just stands there- bewildered with his eyes half-closed and his head cocked to the side and watches as Knox turns on the water, blasting it as cold it will get. He glances bleary eyed up at the faucet, down at his pajamas that are now soaking wet and back over at Knox. "It's cold," he complains after a moment of silence, wrapping his arms around himself as a trail of gooseflesh rises up on his skin.

Knox stares at him for a moment, dumbfounded, before he starts to laugh. Though Charlie's never been the brightest bulb in the box, he's certainly not stupid and the look of sheer confusion on his face is ridiculous but endearing and in some way, adorable. "It's supposed to be."

Charlie nods like he now understands and closes his eyes again. He doesn't say anything for several moments and when he finally does, his voice is weary and small and almost embarrassed. "Thank you," he whispers, leaning back against the wall of the shower.

The fever induced fog surrounding him has started to evaporate and he's once again aware of the throbbing pain behind his eyes. His fatigue has finally gotten the better of him and he slides down the wall, resting his head against his bent knees.

Knox shrugs out of his jacket and peels off his heavy sweater before he joins his best friend on the floor of the shower. The water pelting him is cold- uncomfortably cold- but he tries to ignore it the best he can because Charlie needs it and Charlie is more important. "You're welcome," he finally responds, placing his hand on Charlie's shoulder and giving it a friendly squeeze.

"You're going to make yourself sick, you know," Charlie says as he turns his head to look at him.

"Maybe." Knox shrugs flippantly. He hadn't really stopped to consider that but there's really no point in worrying about it now. "You'll just have to take care of me, I guess."

Charlie utters a weak laugh that just turns into a powerful cough and requires a hard thwack on the back from Knox to get it to stop. "Thanks." He clears his throat. "I guess I'll have to. Just don't complain about it," he jokes, forcing a small smile.

Knox grins and drapes his arm around Charlie, pulling him into an awkward sort of hug. "Not my fault you're a health hazard."

"Not my fault you're an idiot," he replies, laying his head on Knox's chest.

The gesture takes Knox by surprise and his heart begins to hammer against his ribs. Charlie's always had a tendency to be a little affectionate or touchy and it's never really bothered him before but something just feels off. Different. Before he can really stop to think about what he's doing, he's wraps his other arm around Charlie and pulls him even closer, resting his chin against the top of his head.

He can feel him tense for a just a second but he slowly relaxes and Knox can feel the soft rise and fall of his chest as his breathing regulates and evens out. The skin beneath his shirt isn't nearly as hot now which is a relief and his concern has slowly begun to fade away.

"Feeling better?" he whispers, letting his own eyes slip closed.

Charlie hums in response and nuzzles his face into the fabric of Knox's chest. "A little."

Knox smiles to himself and brushes his lips across Charlie's forehead, barely letting them linger. He looses track of how long they sit there but when Charlie begins to shiver, he immediately reaches up and turns off the water.

He lets Charlie get his bearings for a moment before he stands and carefully helps him up as well.

The sudden movement causes a wave of dizziness to rush over him and the room starts to spin as his knees buckle. Knox reaches out for him immediately and holds onto him tightly as Charlie sinks against him.

"Be careful," he murmurs.

Charlie just nods and lifts his head when the dizzy spell passes for the moment. His eyes widen slightly when he suddenly becomes aware of just how close he is to Knox and he's not sure where he gets his next idea but it doesn't seem as crazy as about half of the things he normally does. It just feels right and he doesn't hesitate. He just acts.

He closes the distance between them and kisses Knox and though it's not much of a kiss at all- more like a clumsy bump of the lips- it sends a jolt of electricity running through him and he can hear the quiet gasp that resonates from Knox as his breath catches in his throat and Charlie _likes_ it. He likes everything about this.

He imagines Knox feels the same because he curls one hand around the fabric of Charlie's shirt and tangles the other into his hair as he pulls him forward and crushes their lips together with a little more force. Charlie's mouth opens on instinct and Knox runs his tongue across his teeth and he knows this isn't the smartest thing to be doing, for several reasons, but he just doesn't care. Nothing but this and the two of them is even remotely important.

The kiss lasts for a few moments before Charlie yanks away and turns his head to the side as he begins to cough again. Knox relaxes his grip on his shirt and instead, he begins to gently rub his back. When the fit passes, Charlie struggles to catch his breath and flashes Knox a sheepish grin, his cheeks staining the lightest shade of pink. "Sorry."

Knox just shakes his head and presses a kiss to his forehead. "Don't worry about it." He runs his hands up and down Charlie's arms, trying to warm him up a little.

There's an evident look of concern etched across his features that causes Charlie's heart to skip a beat. Knox has always been his best friend but in a way, he's always been something more. He means more to him than the average person and now he can see why. "I love you," he blurts out unexpectedly, causing Knox's movements to cease.

He raises an eyebrow in surprise and just laughs. "You're delirious," he counters tenderly. He's not sure whether Charlie means what he's saying or not but it's exciting none the less.

"No, no. I love you."

Knox is unable to hide the grin that spreads across his face and he brushes a few stray strands of hair away from his eyes. "I love you too," he replies, keeping his tone light and joking, just in case. "We can talk about it more when you're better. We should get you back to bed."

Charlie doesn't even bother to argue. He follows Knox out of the shower and into the hall and leans against him again- more out of the sheer fact that he can than support this time.

When they make it back to his room, Knox helps him to sit down on the edge of his bed and without missing a beat, pulls his wet shirt over his head. Charlie shudders when the air hits his bare skin and Knox immediately hands over a dry set of pajamas. He stares at them for a moment before a sly smile spreads across his face. "I think I need help," he announces and Knox's eyes grow comically wide.

He awkwardly clears his throat and kneels down in front of the bed. Charlie lifts his arms so Knox can slip the new shirt on. His hands start to tremble as he does so and his face flushes bright red when Charlie nonchalantly tugs off his pajama bottoms. "You're lucky you're sick," he grumbles as he helps him to finish getting dressed.

Charlie grins to himself as he curls back up under the covers and closes his eyes again. "I don't think you minded."

Knox doesn't want to admit that he's right so he doesn't say anything at all. He tosses Charlie's clothes into the hamper and tugs off his own shirt to place in there as well. He grabs a spare on of Charlie's and buttons it up before he grabs the rest of his clothing.

He clears his throat and awkwardly stands by the door, unsure of what he's supposed to do next. "Need anything else?"

It takes several moments for Charlie to respond and Knox is starting to wonder whether he's even awake when he finally speaks. "Can you stay?"

He glances over at the clock and hesitates for a moment. He's already missed at least half of one class and though he knows he should be leaving, he can't bring himself to do it. "Of course."

Knox lies down on the bed with little hesitation and a bright smile breaks out on his face when Charlie turns over and rests his head on his chest. "You really are going to get sick," he says and they share a brief laugh.

He knows he's probably right but that really doesn't seem to matter. It's the farthest thing from his mind as he leans down and presses his lips to Charlie's one last time. "I think it'll be worth it."


End file.
